Tuesday, February 18, 2014

My Dog Sledding Adventure (An Overview)


For the past month and a half, I have been quite busy. I moved from Wisconsin to Illinois, went on an 8-day dog sledding/cross country skiing expedition in northern Minnesota, and am currently in the process of planning a trip to see my aunt and uncle in FL. Today’s post is going to focus on an overview of my trip to Minnesota.


On January 18th, at 8:05am, I boarded a plan in St. Louis, MO and was on my way to my final destination…Ely, MN. A few months back, I learned about a veteran program by Outward Bound offering vets, free of charge, adventure trips all over the United States. On these trips Vets have the opportunity to  "take part in wilderness expeditions that are physically, mentally and emotionally challenging in order to build the self-confidence, pride, trust and communication skills necessary to successfully return to their families, employers and communities following wartime service. These expeditions purposefully scaffold wartime experiences (carrying heavy packs, sore shoulders, rubbery legs, sleeping out, strange noises, sweat, dirt, frustration and anger) with authentic achievements to create positive emotional and mental outcomes."  

I was stoked about the trip, but, I didn't quite know what to expect. The course description stated hard work was to be expected but I thought to myself...Why would being pulled on a sled by dogs be hard work? I arrived at the Voyager Outward Bound base camp late into the evening on the 18th, was issued a bunch of gear and warm clothes to keep me warm during the 6 days we would be eating, sleeping, and traveling over frozen lakes within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and then went to bed in an unheated bunk house. I followed the guide to the bunk house, along with five other vets who were on the expedition with me. "Time to get use to sleeping in the cold,"  the guide said before shutting off the lights.


We woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, and got a crash on packing dogsleds and proper handling of the dogs. We were on the ice ready to start our cold, winter adventure by lunch. 


On our team we had a total of 12 dogs, 6 vets, and 2 guides. Each dog sled team was made up of 6 dogs and 2 mushers. 4 people at any given time were without a ride so they were responsible for cross country skiing in front of the sleds, breaking a trail through the soft, deep snow. 

Once we got to camp, the fun ended and the hard work began. We had to break a hole through the thick ice so we could have water for cooking, drinking, and hydrating the dogs. We had to collect and process enough wood for making dinner, breakfast, and keeping us warm while we dried out our wet or frozen gear. And finally, we had to set up our tent.



When morning came, we had to break down camp, feed the dogs, load the sleds, and do our best to hide our presence by covering the ash from the fire with snow, sprinkle fresh snow over the imprint of our tent, and relocate a night's worth of dog poop deep into the woods. According to Leave No Trace principles, one should leave as little impact as possible so others can enjoy natures beauty. If you would like to learn more about the Leave No Trace principles click here.

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